Panun Kashmir for repealing Article 370

The Joint Forum of KP Organisations convened a press conference to discuss political discourse that has come up recently, on Monday. Stressing upon the removal of Article 370, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, president, Panun Kashmir, said the past 63 years' experience has shown that Article 370 has been a major stumbling block in the emotional integration of the state with the rest of India.

Chrungoo said it has created a justification for the eruption of the feelings of separatism and secessionism in a certain section of populace. Besides providing a constitutional cover to secessionist thinking, Article 370 has encouraged fissiparous tendencies consistently.

It has helped radicalise the thinking amongst a section of population that Kashmir is a separate entity. Moreover, the nationalist forces in the state have been marginalised as a consequence of this 'temporary article' of the constitution.

On the occasion, it was decided that a protest demonstration would be held on July 13, which will be observed as 'black day', outside the Press Club of Jammu at 10am. An "Exhibition in exile" was also displayed on the occasion.

Meanwhile, senior vice-president, ASKPC, RK Raina said it was the height of populist politics that the Kashmir-centric leaders were adopting threatening postures with regard to Article 370.

Raina said the state was always a part of India socially, politically and culturally since times immemorial and the instrument of accession was only a legal and constitutional requirement, which every acceding state had to execute before joining the union of India.